2026 Rankings Update: Defensive Back

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now that another season of high school football is behind us in the state of Kentucky, it is time for some rankings updates. The updated top 150 for the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky has been officially published! With that being said, I wanted to take the next week or so to break down these rankings by position. After already covering the offensive side of the ball, I have now turned my attention to the defensive side of the ball. With the defensive linemen and linebackers out of the way, I will now focus on our top defensive backs in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["401701"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='401701' first='Corey' last='Warner'] climbed to the top defensive back spot in our rankings following a strong sophomore season. Warner lines up on the outside at corner where he is very impressive in man coverage. He does a great job of opening up and running with receivers to mirror their routes and has shown the ability to react with perfect timing to make a play on the ball when it is thrown his way. Warner finished this past season with one interception and several pass break ups in 12 games. He also showed the ability to come downhill and make plays against the run, finishing the season with 47 tackles while also returning one fumble recovery for a touchdown. Corey doesn't currently hold any offers but I could see some coming his way soon as he received some college interest and has the talent to play at the next level.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1175779"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1175779' first='Kendell' last='Barber'] is a player that jumped onto our radar with a very impressive sophomore season. Barber lines up at safety where he is a true ball hawk in the secondary. He does a great job of reading the quarterback and breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. Barber finished this past season with seven interceptions in 12 games, returning one for a touchdown. He also showed the ability to make plays against the runs, finishing the season with 54 tackles and eight tackles for loss. Barber also returned one punt and a kickoff for touchdowns, and caught 16 passes for 179 yards this past season. Kendell doesn't currently hold any offers but he is definitely a player for college coaches to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["401715"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='401715' first='Juelz' last='Davila'] is a defensive back that has been on our radar for a while now and continued to stand out this past season. Davila lines up at safety where he is very reliable in pass coverage. He does a great job of reading the quarterback and route combinations to put himself in a good position to make a play on the ball. Juelz finished this past season with four interceptions in 11 games, returning two of them for touchdowns. He also showed the ability to fill the lane to provide run support, finishing the year with 89 tackles. Davila doesn't currently hold any offers but he should be a player to keep an eye on as he continues to develop.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1175778"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1175778' first='Brayden' last='Lynch'] is a new addition to our rankings following a solid sophomore season. Lynch lines up at free safety where he is very impressive in pass coverage. He does a great job of sitting back in zone coverage and reading the quarterback then breaking on the ball with perfect timing to make a play. Brayden finished this past season with six interceptions in 11 games. He also showed the ability to provide support against the run, finishing the season with 54 tackles. Brayden doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to keep an eye on over the next couple seasons.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["971494"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"To wrap up our top five defensive backs in the class of 2026 in the state of Kentucky, I have [player_tooltip player_id='971494' first='Quilshaun' last='Baines']. Baines lines up at safety where he is very reliable in pass coverage. He has shown tremendous ball skills, showing the ability to break on the ball with perfect timing and catch it at its highest point. Baines finished this past season with four  interceptions in 12 games. He has also shown the ability to read the run and fill the lane to make tackles in the open field, finishing this past season with 22 tackles. Baines doesn't currently hold any offers but he is a player to pay close attention to over the next two seasons.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65de64ff617c8"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Best of the Rest (Players Included in Top 150):</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6. [player_tooltip player_id='971492' first='James' last='White'] (Fern Creek)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7. [player_tooltip player_id='971493' first='Malique' last='Smith'] (Fairdale)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8. [player_tooltip player_id='971495' first='A'Davion' last='Dale'] (Shelby County)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>9. [player_tooltip player_id='1176971' first='Monte' last='Hairston'] (Frankfort)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>10. [player_tooltip player_id='1176958' first='Nick' last='Sims'] (Owensboro Catholic)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->